Digital Dharma

RESEARCH

Yoga Online

The Yoga Research Center is spearheading a movement to promote a spirit of unity among yoga practitioners and organizations. Founded by Dr. Georg Feuerstein in 1996, the Center is located in Lower Lake, California, and now publishes an international newsletter called Yoga World for Western yoga teachers and students. The journal's purpose is to reach those interested in learning about the various aspects of yoga as part of their personal spiritual quest. The Center's website (members.aol.com/yoga
resrch/) introduces the three major cultural branches of Hindu Yoga, Buddhist Yoga and Jaina Yoga and includes an article explaining these and other forms of yoga entitled "Forty Types of Yoga." Here you can register for lectures and workshops, subscribe to the newsletter, become a member of the Center and enroll for a 200-hour correspondence teacher's training course on the classical yoga of Patanjali. Also found are links to yoga-related websites and affiliated organizations. In conjunction with Sava Multimedia Productions, the Center is working on a multimedia CD version of Dr. Feuerstein's bibliography of yoga resources, "Shambhala Encyclopedia of Yoga." You can link to a sample on SMP's site.

COMPUTING

Three Indian Fonts

Apple Computer announced in February software for six North Indian languages for shipment in April. The Indian Language Kit will allow users to enter, edit and print text and graphics in three fonts: Devanagari for Hindi, Marathi, Nepali and Sanskrit; Gurmukhi for Punjabi and Gujarati. Apple said a study showed that the government of India's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, would spend about US$1 billion in two years on computers and peripherals if OS-level Hindi-based computing was possible. The US$119 software will be distributed by Claris Corp. and will include three Apple¨ TrueType fonts, a Devanagari typing tutor and the Hindi Learning Stack 1.0. The kit will allow users to create and view Indian language-based websites and Quick Time movies. Claris Corp. is at http://www.claris.co

BUSINESS

India's New Gates Way

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates urged Indian programmers to think globally during his three-day visit in March. He told the heads of 500 Indian software firms in Bombay, "India has what it takes to participate in, even to shape, the future if it makes the necessary investments now. It must build a national telecommunications infrastructure, develop a robust domestic software industry, provide Internet connectivity for the consumer and invest in education." Gates said his company was committed to establishing India as a global pool of talent and resources in computer software. He encouraged the software chiefs to invest heavily in research and development.

NONVIOLENCE

Syber Serenity

Far too few websites are created to promote the concept of ahimsa, or nonviolence. Prince among the pages of peace is the Ahimsa Home Page (wizard.net/~ethan/ahimsa.htm).Its purpose is to provide links to the best Internet sources on the subject. Here you can find scriptures about nonviolence, compassion and vegetarianism from Hindu, Christian and Jain sources. Relevant Hindu verses can be found among 108 complete chapters of the Tamil classic Tirukural, translated in English. The Hindu and Jain views are well represented in essays on ahimsa, mainly one by Swami Sivananda Maharaj and a piece dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi by Arun M. Sannuti entitled, "Vegetarianism: The Road to Satyagraha."

In the beginning Love arose, the primal germ cell of the mind
The Seers, searching in their hearts with wisdom
Discovered the connection of Being in Nonbeing